Distance determination systems that provide a distance estimate between a vehicle and an object can be useful in a number of situations. As one example, parking in a relatively small garage or parking space may be challenging for some individuals. Incorrectly parking a vehicle in a confined garage space may result in damage to the vehicle body (e.g., caused by a garage door, another vehicle, or another obstruction). Park assist systems are used to indicate obstacles located in front of or behind a vehicle during parking. As one example, a vehicle may include one or more ultrasonic sensors that can be used to provide a distance estimate between the vehicle and an object or surface. While such ultrasonic sensor based systems can be useful relative to a large object or surface, they may have difficulty in detecting distances for non-uniform surfaces or objects.
As another example, some types of park assist systems include an imaging device such as a camera that is mounted to a front portion or a rear portion of the vehicle. The camera acquires image data that represents a viewable area either in front of or behind the vehicle. The park assist system may then provide feedback to the driver to indicate how to maneuver the vehicle into a garage or parking space. Such systems typically rely upon the driver to interpret the image data.
Accordingly, it is desirable to provide an improved distance determination system that overcomes these disadvantages.